[wdmurr]

Hi,

I have been reading these forum for a while and it's quite informative.
I am moving to HK soon from Australia and I wanted to know where the best place to rent is given that I will be working in Central ( Garden Rd).
I have heard a few things said about Wan Chai and Sheng Wan.
BTW, I am of Indian origin, so would like to have access to a indian grocery shop if possible.
MY question is twofold, will I be able to find somthing under 15k in this areas and are there any indian groceries close by to the above areas?
Also in terms of rental, I heard the norm is to sign a 2 year lease, but I really would like to be out of HK in a year. Are there any exit clauses that I could sign to ensure this would be possible or is there are 12 month review on most leases?

thanks in advance,

Rohan

[Netfiend]

Rohan,

Both Wan Chai and Sheung Wan have Indian groceries.
U can easily find a decent acco for 15k.

It is possible to have a break clause after 1 yr ... just demand for it ...

Cheers !

[larac]

Netfiend is right. Most contracts are for 2 years but after one year you can give 2 months notice so effectively the contracts are for 14 months not two years. The two years is good in that the landlord can't put the rent up during that time.

I've not seen any Indian grocery stores specifically but then again I'm not in the market. In my experience if you look long and hard enough you can find anything here - it just takes a while and at the beginning your brain kind of puts blinkers on to cope with the sensory overload but after a while you get used to the place and notice stuff you didn't even see before.

[Netfiend]

There were stores arnd which i missed .. possibly due to the sensory overload ..
but now i can see a few small ones in Sheung Wan, where i am.. wud have been more important had i known how to cook ..

[wdmurr]

thanks for the info guys it's been very useful.
Netfiend, in regards to Sheung Wan, how do you find the pollution etc and is it easy to get to Central from there?
My wife is a aussie who grew up on a farm and she a little worried about the pollution, although she won't be joining me for a while, I would still like to find a place that wouldn't be too polluted, although i do understand that pollution is generally high everywhere.
Also is it closer to live in Sheung Wan or Wan Chai, if I need to travel to Garden Rd, central?
Thanks again for the info.

[carang]

on the north side of HK island....including sheung wan, wanchai, causeway bay, central... pollution is pretty much the same.... disgusting!

[Netfiend]

wdmurr .. u cannot escape pollution in this part of the island ..
Sheung Wan would be closer to Central

[larac]

I too live in Sheung Wan but a bit higher up (just below Caine Road) in a new building that is surrounded by low rise buildings which helps to create a sense of space and we can see the water which also helps. I'm from NZ so know exactly what you mean. The last few weeks have been amazing - really nice weather and really clear and when it is like this the place is quite amazing but when the pollution comes it really can be quite claustrophobic but HK is very green outside of the city with nice beaches too - you just have to make the effort to get out of the centraL city every weekend to go for a walk or something and you feel alot better for it. I wouldn't live outside the city though.
Central is in the middle of Sheung Wan and Wan Chai - check out ypmap.com for a better look.

[greentea]

Most of the pollution is from Mainland China. We had a clear blue sky in early May because the workers of the Mainland China got a 1-week Golden Week and their factories were not opened. But the HKSAR government and the GZ officials are now working on the problem and making improvement. Hope the problem can be solved soon.

[wdmurr]

Thanks guys,
Sheng Wan sounds like the place I should start looking. Larac, thanks for the map info, however I only get a Chinese version ( I cannot read/write Chinese). I am still trying to see if they have a English version.
Anyways, thanks for the info it's been quite helpful!